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Career Prospects

Career opportunities for English majors are many and varied.

When entering the following sectors of the job market today, graduates with a bachelor degree in English often face strong competition from other applicants who have obtained an equivalent qualification at another institute of higher education. Thus, if you are, for example, interested in becoming a simultaneous translator upon completion of your studies, we strongly recommend that you to explore degree programmes specifically designed for students intending to pursue a career as a translator or interpreter. The University of Heidelberg offers such a degree programme.

Those who choose to attend additional classes in other academic fields during their studies are at a distinct advantage. Students can further improve their chances in today’s ultracompetitive job market by completing internships, becoming actively involved in community projects, studying abroad or offering freelance services in a related field.

The demand for humanities scholars in the free market is steadily increasing. They are not only sought on account of their expertise in a particular field alone, but also because of the social and interpersonal skills they have mastered, such as the abilities to:

articulate oneself well

work with a high degree of independence and autonomy

show initiative

exercise a large degree of flexibility

adapt easily to new or unexpected situations

acquire new knowledge and skills quickly

Various careers often pursued by English majors:

Teacher (at public secondary schools [only with a state licensed teaching credential in secondary education] or private school [possible with a bachelor, master or magister degree])